1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner cartridge that is detachably attached to the inside of an electro-photographic type image forming apparatus to supply a toner to a developer unit.
2. Description of Related Art
In the past, in such an electro-photographic type image forming apparatus, a toner replenishment system called a cartridge replacement type in which a toner can be replenished by replacing a toner cartridge has been widely used. In a case of the toner cartridge of the cartridge replacement type, a filling hole through which the toner is filled into a toner chamber is provided, and the filling hole is sealed in an air-tight manner by pressing a cap toward the filling hole after filling the toner therein at the time of shipment from a factory. The toner can be refilled into the toner chamber. In this case, the toner is input therein through the filling hole after the cap is separated therefrom. Subsequently, by attaching the cap thereto, it is possible to keep the filling hole in an air-tight sealed state.
Recently, to further the resource saving movement, a supply product is actively recycled and reused. For this reason, a recyclable product is reused by a so-called recycling manufacturer other than an original manufacturer. That is, the recycling manufacturer collects the toner cartridge, refills the toner into the collected toner cartridge, and then supplies the refilled toner cartridge in the form of a low-cost recycled product to a user.
However, when the toner different from a genuine toner is refilled by the recycling manufacturer, image quality formed by an image forming apparatus may easily deteriorate. A genuine toner which is carefully made by the manufacturer should be used in accordance with characteristics of the image forming apparatus as the toner used in such an image forming apparatus. When a non-genuine toner is refilled, a performance of the image forming apparatus is not sufficiently exhibited, which eventually deteriorates image quality.
JP-A-2002-258595 discloses a method of preventing non-genuine toner from being used. In such a method disclosed in JP-A-2002-258595, the toner cartridge includes a toner bottle in which the toner is contained, a bottle case to which the toner bottle is attached, a case cover which covers an opening portion of the toner bottle case, and a lock member which locks the case cover to the toner bottle case. The lock member is configured so as not to be reused (relocked) when the case cover is separated from the case cover. That is, when a new lock member is not provided, it is not possible to attach again the case cover to the toner bottle case.
Accordingly, in order to recycle the toner cartridge, it is necessary to prepare a spare lock member, and thus it is difficult to manufacture a toner cartridge of a recyclable product in which the non-genuine toner is refilled.
In the method disclosed in JP-A-2002-258595, a problem arises in that an attachment/detachment operation of the lock member is difficult and even when the genuine toner is refilled by a manufacturer or a regular distributor, etc. (hereinafter, referred to as a manufacturer, etc.), the attachment/detachment operation of the lock member is troublesome. As a result, work efficiency may easily deteriorate. That is, when the toner cartridge of the recycled product is manufactured by a manufacturer, etc., the toner cartridge is disassembled and the lock member is separated therefrom. Subsequently, a toner refill operation is carried out, the lock member is replaced, and then the toner cartridge is assembled again. Accordingly, it is difficult and troublesome to carry out a series of operations.
Additionally, since the spare lock member needs to be prepared, it is disadvantageous in that a cost of the toner cartridge of the recycle product necessarily increases.